Favours
by MadamLestrange1990
Summary: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley are dating. Madly-in-love Hermione Granger can hardly try and be happy for them. When the twins tell her they will help her get Harry, they insist they are doing more than one person a favour.
1. Chapter 1

When Harry Potter had started dating Ginny Weasley it had all been a bit of a blur. The kiss that seemed to have ignited their relationship had been sudden, brief and before the eyes of the whole of Gryffindor common room. There had been some speculation that the couple had been influenced by Butterbeer, but, then again, who had been known to get tipsy from Butterbeer? Another rumour that had unfolded was that it had all been a bet for Ginny's often-to-be-seen-gambling twin brothers, Fred and George. They had, of course, made a joke over the whole thing and soon that particular conjecture had passed.

People grew to accept the relationship and, in time, Harry and Ginny became Hogwarts' golden couple. Even Ron had learnt to maintain any ill-feeling when he had to watch them acting as couples do, and Romilda Vane – one of Harry's hugest admirers and a rather sickly fangirl – strode past the couple one evening with a radiant smile plastered on her face. The only person who could not help but be miserable about the relationship was the person who acted least so: Hermione Granger.

The evening Harry had grabbed Ginny in that dratted kiss, Hermione had felt nothing but shock and numb disbelief. Even now, one month on, the whole business was still getting her down.

It was a rather blustery night and Hermione was sat alone at a table in the common room, trying to catch up with Charms homework. The room was quite empty, but for the Weasley twins, who were sat in an opposite corner, shooting Hermione shrewd looks every so often. Harry and Ginny had kissed goodnight and departed earlier, and a rather irritable Ron had followed not long after.

'Hermione?'

With a barely-suppressed yawn, Hermione looked up and met the identical faces of Fred and George, who were standing over her. 'Hmm?'

The twins exchanged looks. 'Well, we've been getting some vibes recently ¬'

'- not good vibes ¬'

'- not at all¬'

'- so, just out of sheer curiosity ¬'

'- well, nosiness¬'

'- we were wondering¬'

'- if you like Harry?'

Hermione took a moment to digest this. The twins were both wearing rather satisfied smirks; smirks which worried her. What vibes were they talking about? Had they been picking up on the fact that she had been down ever since Harry and Ginny had started going out? She felt a blush creeping into her cheeks and Fred gave a snort of laughter. 'Come on, don't try and hide. We can hardly fail to notice, you know. Underneath it all, George and I are actually pretty good at reading people.'

'Speak for yourself,' said George, 'I haven't forgotten the McGonagall incident...'

Feeling it best not to ask about the "McGonagall incident", Hermione focused on answering the twin's question. 'Well, of course I like Harry. He's my best friend.'

'Not what _our _sources tell us,' replied Fred, lowering an eyebrow in mock disapproval.

'Sources?' queried Hermione.

Fred waved a hand and said airily, 'we have them. No, the point is, do you fancy Harry?'

'F-fancy?' Hermione repeated, stuttering over the word. She willed herself not to go even redder. How could Fred and George have known? Was she genuinely that obvious? Or where they, as Fred put it, just "good at reading people"? Either way, her only way out of it was lying. 'No, of course I don't.'

'Now, now, Hermione,' said George, he too wearing a mock-stern expression, 'you were never that great at lying.'

'Out with it, Granger,' said Fred.

Hermione considered her options for a minute. She could completely deny what the twins were saying or she could just ... tell them? But if she told them, then what? Would they make a fool of her in front of Harry? Would they tell Ginny? Would they tell _Ron_?

'I don't fancy Harry, that's the truth!' Hermione answered abruptly.

'She's not getting it, George,' sighed Fred, turning to his brother.

'No,' George agreed with a shake of his head, 'she doesn't realise we're only trying to help her get Harry.'

Hermione's heart flipped. 'W-what?'

'_Now_ she's listening,' smirked George.

'What do you mean, "help me get Harry"? Are you or are you not the brothers of his girlfriend?'

'We are,' Fred and George said together.

Hermione rubbed her temples wearily. 'Well then ... why are you helping me?'

With a sigh, Fred replied, 'put it this way, Hermione. Our sources have informed us that we are doing more than one favour with getting you two together.'

When Hermione made to interrupt, Fred raised a hand to silence her. 'Just trust us, alright?' He tipped her a wink before repeating the old line, 'ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies.'

**A/N: You like? ;D please leave a review and I'll be very happy. It's a bit different to what I usually do so bear with me. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my dears. Yes I'm back, I'm writing & I love you. xo**

* * *

><p>"Trust on this, Hermione," said Fred.<p>

Hermione shook her head. "Only if you come up with a completely simple, fool-proof and _non-tampering _method."

Fred and George exchanged glances. "We know exactly what we're doing. It's perfectly simple, fool-proof and the opposite of tampering."

Hermione frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You'll find out in good time," smiled Fred. They both winked and departed, leaving a puzzled Hermione in their wake.

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, Hermione noticed no change at all in Harry's behaviour towards her or Ginny. He remained smitten and doting with his girlfriend, and serious but fond with his best friend. Hermione had no idea what Fred and George were planning, and they didn't appear to have done anything about it yet. She decided to go and find him.<p>

She slipped up to the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, reaching the room she knew to be the twins'. Cracking the door open slightly, she saw the twins sat on one bed, talking in low voices. Hermione gave a sharp intake of breath as she saw the pink bottle they were both looking at. _Love potion._

"No way!" Hermione cried, bursting into the room and causing Fred and George to jump.

"What?" said Fred innocently.

"You know what!" said Hermione, grabbing the potion in one clenched fist, "I told you – no tampering! That included love potion! I don't want Harry to love me falsely, okay? And if that's what you're planning on, well-''

"Hermione, have you heard yourself?" sniggered George while Fred laughed. "How do you even know that's why we have the love potion?"

Hermione faltered for a minute, her hand dropping as she let the bottle fall back on the bed. "Well – well, why else would you have it?"

The twins looked at each other nervously for a second. Fred then nodded and George signing, turning to address Hermione again. "Okay... here's why. A month ago, one day before Harry and Ginny started to go out, Harry confessed to Ginny that, well, he loved you, Hermione. If they won't the Quidditch Cup he was going to ask you out at the after party."

Hermione had sunk slowly down onto the bed, gaping at the twins. "B – but – why –''

George held up a hand. "Let me finish. So, Ginny liking Harry and all, acted cool around but inside she was heart-broken. She came to us and told us everything, she was dead upset. And us, supporting you and Harry and everything, told her there wasn't really anything she could do. She asked us for love potion. We totally refused her, but she came and took it anyway. And so, for a month, she's been slipping it into Harry's morning pumpkin juice everyday. We've tried to stop it, but, well... we needed to know if you loved Harry before we got between him and Ginny. And now we know you do, well... we feel it's only right to stop this. So we've taken the love potion under the false pretences that we've found a new ingredient that strengthens it. It took a bit to persuade her, but she's pretty desperate. So now we need something to put in it, or swap it with, to stop it from working but still so she doesn't notice a thing."

Hermione just sat there, still and pale with her mouth wide. It was all piecing together now – the suddenness of the relationship, Harry's rather over-the-top adoring nature, Fred and George's mysterious manner... "So – so, Harry does love me? And Ginny... Ginny's just using a potion to make it so he loves her?"

"In a nutshell," nodded Fred.

"Oh Merlin," sighed Hermione, running a hand through her curly brown locks.

"So," said Fred, "more importantly... what do we do about this potion?"

* * *

><p>The next morning, Hermione met Fred and George in the common room.<p>

"Who would've thought a Colour Change Charm on water would produce such a realistic love potion," Fred grinned.

"They don't call her the brightest witch of her age for nothing, you know," said George, tipping Hermione a wink.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Come on then, Ginny will be in breakfast. Harry's gonna be down soon."

The three of them crossed the room, through the Fat Lady portrait, and down to the Great Hall. Ginny was sat alone at the Gryffindor table. Her roommates Romilda Vane and Lydia Dixon sat further along, and Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were a little way off them.

"Morning Ginny," said Fred airily, taking the seat opposite his sister. George and Hermione followed suit.

"Morning," replied Ginny tensely. There was a long silence. Hermione helped herself to a piece of toast and causally began buttering it. The twins smirked at their sister before grabbing bowls of porridge. Harry and Ron entered shortly after that, both sleepy as always. Harry gave his girlfriend a fond peck on the cheek.

"Pumpkin juice, Harry?" she said sweetly.

"Sure, anything," he smiled, before turning to Ron.

Hermione dropped her gaze to her toast as Ginny slipped the small bottle of 'love potion' out of the robes. She really did manage it very discreetly. "There you are," she smiled, passing her boyfriend the cup.

"Thanks Gin," he said, taking the juice and gulping it in one. Ginny continued gazing dotingly at him, obviously expecting him to start doing the same after his daily dose of potion. Harry, however, just turned back to Ron, leaving his girlfriend frowning.

"The potion is at its weakest in the morning," Fred muttered to Hermione, "give it a bit... the effects will completely wear off..."

Ginny glared at her brother as he whispered to Hermione. "A word outside, Fred?" she said stiffly.

"Be my guest," said Fred, his innocent facade in place. He grimaced to Hermione as his younger sibling led him out of the hall. Harry and Ron stopped conversing, and Harry turned forwards again, a frown on his face. Hermione held her breath.

"Where's your girlfriend gone?" Ron frowned to Harry. "She was here just then."

Harry turned slowly to him. "My girlfriend?"

His friend gave him a strange look, brows furrowed. "Yeah... Ginny? She's just gone. "

"Why am I going out with Ginny?"

Ron looked confusedly at the others. Hermione did her best to look non-plussed, but George cleared his throat. "Erm... yeah... it's a long story."

Harry just stared. Then, everything seemed to fall into place behind his eyes and he turned bright red. "Merlin's pants..."

Ron was also staring at George. "What... what? Someone help me out here?"

Before Hermione, George or Harry could make any kind of explanation, Ginny stormed back into the hall, a rather dishevelled looking Fred in her wake.

"Harry... I'm sorry," Ginny said, her voice hollow and tears springing to her eyes, "what I did was really wrong, and – and I'm glad it's over now. I know I was wrong..."

Harry got to his feet and faced her. "How could you deceive me like that?" he demanded, shock replaced by anger.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I really am. I just thought you knew I liked you, and then when you said about Hermione it killed me. I know it's all my fault, and I really am so sorry... I hope we can still be friends."

Sighing, Harry let his hunched shoulders sag as he relaxed slightly. His anger had not entirely abated, but he spoke steadily nevertheless. "Okay. I don't know if I'll ever completely forgive you, but, well, I'll try. We can forget... forget all this ever happened.

The redhead nodded, eyes welling with tears. "You're far too nice about this," she whispered before turning on her heel and running out of the hall, bursting into tears as she went.

"Well... now I'm really confused." Ron looked blankly at Harry.

Harry didn't acknowledge him, instead turning to Hermione. "You're probably wondering-''

"It's okay. I know everything."

"Oh... right... so..."

Hermione said nothing. She just smiled, before flinging her arms around her best friend and kissing him. When they broke apart, Ron was just staring bemusedly at the two of them. "Okay... now is someone going to fill me in?"

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><p><strong>YAAY. We're done. Haha, why is it everything looks so much longer in Word than on Fanfiction? Oh well I think its okay. I think. Haha, I'm gonna start writing my OA sequel now...pretty excited for it tbh! See you guys soon. xo<strong>


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